A congressional analysis of construction projects that will receive continued funding under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ fiscal 2025 work plan shows that the Trump administration has prioritized projects in Republican-leaning states, steering funds away from projects in states those considered more “blue”—like California, Hawaii, and Washington state. 

According to the office of Appropriations Committee Vice-Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the Trump administration shifted $437 million in funding away from blue states relative to the fiscal year presidential 2025 budget request, while it steered $258 million toward so-called red states, representing a 64-33% red-to-blue split. This is a break from the traditional protocol, Murray said at a May 22 press briefing, where flood protection infrastructure projects across all states—regardless of political tendencies—in federal spending bills have passed with bipartisan support. 

Normally, congressional appropriators work out—through a long and often laborious process—which projects receive funding each year in the yearly spending bills. But the mostly Republican-supported continuing resolution sent to the White House in March cut funding for the Corps of Engineers by $1.4 billion and gave wide latitude to the president as to where to make the cuts. 

A furious Murray told reporters: “President Trump’s Army Corps construction plan utterly tramples all of the careful, painstaking negotiations we did in Congress to reach a bipartisan understanding about what projects need funding, and replaces it with his own partisan vision.” She added: “Never again.”

Projects that had funding cut or zeroed-out include a water storage and fish passage project at Hanson Dam in King County, Washington, which had been set to receive $500 million in fiscal 2025; and at least four major flood-risk reduction projects in California, which included reinforcing 42 miles of levees around the Natomas Basin and the $2.03 billion Lower San Joaquin River Basin project. 

Work in Limbo 

In October 2024, the Corps of Engineer’s Seattle District awarded a $657-million water storage and fish passage project to joint venture Flatiron and Canadian firm Aecon. According to a Seattle district spokesperson, the project is still within the fully funded design phase of the project. “The award of the construction option under that contract is dependent on receipt of additional funds,” she said. The Corps currently is reviewing the design, which is at 80%. 

On a May 16 call with reporters, Heather Pennington, Tacoma Public Utilities water superintendent, said that her agency was in discussions with the Corps of Engineers about the current contract. “I do know that there is hope to continue work in the near term, but what isn’t currently funded and now won’t be funded is unclear. We’re very concerned about what is going to be able to be completed and what the pause and impact will be if we don’t secure additional funding.” 

Also on the call was Thomas Keown, general manager of the Covington Water District, who said the decision to pull the funding for the dam “is shaping up a waste of a perfectly good shovel-ready project that is likely to be mothballed for who knows how long.” 

On May 21, acting assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works Robyn Colosimo denied that the funding shifts were politically motivated. Noting the significant cuts in the continuing resolution for Corps projects, top officials within the administration “made hard choices and had the discretion to do that,” Colosimo said at a hearing before a House appropriations subcommittee. “I do believe these reflect the priorities of the administration,” she said, adding, “I believe they had to make tradeoffs that I was not privy to.”